Jonathan Falwell emboldens students in their faith at first Convocation of school year

Liberty University kicked off the first Convocation of the semester Wednesday as thousands of enthusiastic students came together in the Vines Center to worship and pray for the upcoming academic year.

As is traditional at the start of a new school year, students heard the encouraging words of Liberty’s late founder, Jerry Falwell Sr., as part of a video welcoming them to campus. In the video, Dr. Falwell shares some of the history of Liberty and its mission to Train Champions for Christ.

Liberty’s Worship Collective set the tone for the semester by leading students in songs of praise, including “Your Love Awakens Me” and “I Love You Lord.”

Liberty’s Provost, Ron Hawkins, and Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Mark Hine led students in praying for the university.

David Nasser, Liberty’s senior vice president for Spiritual Development, also took time to dedicate the semester in prayer saying, “Every day while we were away, there has not been one day when God was not at work on campus and in your individual lives.”

Nasser told students that this year he believes God is going to do a great work.

“We are expecting this to be a great year, not because we have a great lineup of guests, but we really believe that God wants to do something in every one of our lives, and we are expecting the Holy Spirt to move this year.”

Continuing his father’s legacy, Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and son of Jerry Falwell Sr., gave the first Convocation address of the school year, challenging students to be “fit for the finish” that God has in store for their lives.

“I believe firmly in my heart that great finishes never happen at the finish line, they happen when we begin,” he said. “The commitment you have today will determine the finish you have later on.”

Referencing Philippians 3:7-17, Falwell encouraged students to “knock it out of the park” in school and their personal lives.

“You came to Liberty with the purpose of being trained and prepared, so you can go out and make a dent in the universe.”

Falwell said success in this life depends upon a “heavenly perspective,” which includes knowing what really matters in life, confidence in who you are in Christ, faithfulness, absolute commitment to Christ, a goal to move forward, and a desire to be more like Christ.

“Do not let the distractions of the world keep you from what God has for you to accomplish,” he said. “The love of God is amazing, and nothing can separate us from it.”

Throughout the semester, students will have the opportunity to hear from a wide variety of guests, including popular musicians for King & Country (Sept. 30), Third Day’s Mac Powell (Sept. 2), “Backstreet Boys” founding member Brian Litrell (Oct. 19), and KORN’s Brian “Head” Welch (Sept. 19). Sports icons like Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow (Oct. 17), Brazilian soccer star Kaká (Sept. 21), and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann (Oct. 21) are also scheduled to speak at Convocation along with comedians Tim Hawkins (Sept. 23) and Larry the Cable Guy (Nov. 11). Noted Christian psychologist James Dobson (Sept. 26) and media mogul Steve Forbes (Dec. 7) will also appear on stage this semester.

Convocation is North America’s largest weekly gathering of Christian students, and each year it plays host to more than 80 guest speakers of national significance from every sphere of society.